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Poynton Updates and News (PUN): 19/02/13

Poynton Updates and News

NEW

Emergency Road Works, Chester Road

United Utilities has told the Town Council that it needs to carry out emergency repairs to a leaking 9 water main on Chester Road, just before Tern Drive. This is now planned to start on Thursday 21st February, and will involve traffic management. The water main is located in the verge, and therefore any temporary traffic lights will only be used during the working day. We will keep you informed of any change to this via the Town Councils website www.poyntontowncouncil.gov.uk

Other Road Works

The A538 road between Prestbury and Wilmslow will be closed this week, from 18th to 22nd February, for road resurfacing work

Stay Warm Campaign

Cheshire East Council and partner agencies will be in the Council Chamber from 10am to 2pm next Wednesday, 27th February with tips and advice about keeping warm through the winter. We understand there will be giveaways of hand warmers, thermos mugs, packets of oats etc, so do feel free to drop in during the day.

The Hole Truth…..

Potholes are a major problem across the whole of Cheshire East but Poynton certainly seems to have more than its fair share. Cheshire East claim to have repaired more than 46,000 potholes since 1st April 2012, at a cost of £1million, and now aims to fix another 42,000 by the end of this summer. Lets make sure many of these are in Poynton! We all can help to ensure Poynton's potholes are prioritised at the top of the list and we encourage residents to report the worst potholes blighting our roads in Poynton via Cheshire East Council's online fault reporting page at www.cheshireeasthighways.org/ReportIt or by phoning the Cheshire East Highways team on 0300 123 5020. There has been some limited activity of late, and a number of potholes have been filled.

On The Buses!

Following the Cheshire East retendering of bus services late last year, and the timely and persistent efforts of Cheshire East and Poynton Town Councillors Jos Saunders and Howard Murray, there is now a clearer picture of how Poynton will be served with effect from 3rd March 2013. Not only will there be a combined 392/393 service connecting Stockport to Macclesfield via Poynton, Pott Shrigley, Bollington and Tytherington, but the good news is that there will also be a new east/west service called the P1, which will link up three stations - Middlewood, Poynton and Hazel Grove, while also serving Dickens Lane, Chester Road and Woodford Road.

Copies of the timetable for this hourly service will be made available soon, and meanwhile details can be found on line  www.cheshireeast.gov.uk. Click on Transport and Travel, then on Bus Timetables  the PI comes just before the 392/393 towards the end of the listing. Cllr Saunders has been successful in revising the route to provide better access to Park Lane, and extending the service into the evening, to better serve commuters and other users. These services will be reviewed after 2/3 months to see if any adjustments need to be made, but once introduced we would urge our residents to use them or lose them!

Warning  Roadside Scam

Cheshire East police have issued a warning about gangs of men, claiming to be injured or stranded motorists, targeting lone female motorists, and flagging them down on isolated rural roads and demanding money. Please be wary of this, and, unless it is a 999 emergency, report any such incidents by phoning 101.

Ranger Events

For details of Ranger events please call T. 01625 383700 or go to the Rangers website www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/ranger_service/ranger_events.aspx. If you look at the July 2013 listing you will see an entry for the 2013 Higher Poynton Summerfest, which takes place on Sunday 14th July 2013  a date for your diaries. For those residents without access to a PC, printed copies of the monthly Ranger programmes can be had on request from the Civic Hall.

Twinning Association of Poyntons AGM

The Twinning Association of Poynton will be holding their AGM and social evening on Wednesday 27th February at 7.30 pm in the Bistro Room, Hockley Centre, Park Lane (towards the junction of Coppice and Middlewood Roads). The guest speaker is Jim Wilde, who will talk about his cycling trip from Poynton to Istanbul, via Érd , the town with which Poynton is twinned. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be available.

REMINDERS/DIARY DATES

A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road Consultation

The Town Council met late last year to decide on its response to the first phase of this public consultation. The key point is that the Council is not in favour of the new road unless it includes a Woodford/Poynton Relief Road. In terms of its preferences for the key junctions, the Town Council favours roundabouts rather than light-controlled junctions, and prefers Option 1 for all Locations, especially for Location 6 (Macclesfield Road, Hazel Grove). Option 2 at that location would start to erode the green gap that exists between Hazel Grove and Poynton.

The first phase of public consultation on the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road has now closed, but a second phase consultation will follow in due course, hopefully taking account of concerns and views raised in the first round. The Town Council will keep you updated on developments. Meanwhile further information can be had from the website www.semmms.info, or phone 0161 474 2055.

Cheshire East Draft Development Strategy

Cheshire Easts formal consultation on its overall Development Strategy and Policy Principles Document, part of the Local Plan, is now open, and closes in a weeks time, on 26th February 2013. All of the consultation documents can be viewed online at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/localplan . Paper copies of the comments form can be had from Poynton Library, where there is also a box to post them. We would urge all our residents to make their views known  the Town Councils response is set out below.

By way of background, the draft Development Strategy sets out the overall number of homes and employment land that will be needed in Cheshire East up to 2030. It proposes levels of development for the main towns as well as the smaller towns, villages and rural areas. The document identifies the proposed strategic development sites - the large sites that are considered critical to the delivery of the overall strategy. Poynton Town Councils Planning and Environment Committee met on Monday 14th January 2013 to formulate its response to the consultation, insofar as it affects Poynton. This has been submitted, and is as follows:

The Town Council welcomes the decision to limit planned development in Poynton to 200 houses and 5 hectares of employment land up to 2030, and also welcomes the stated support for a Poynton Bypass. The Town Council has nevertheless asked Cheshire East to re-word Section 8.51 of the draft Development Strategy, making it clear that:

a) no Green Belt land will be used for either housing or employment purposes until all brownfield sites have been developed (i.e. a "Brownfield First" policy)

b) in the case of employment land, all vacant units on the Poynton and Adlington Industrial Estates must be re-developed before Green Belt sites are considered;

c) any development sites in the Green Belt must be strictly limited, and have clear and strong boundaries, such as a road, railway line or stream.

The Town Council has also insisted that it be consulted at an early stage when the Site Allocations Plan is being drafted.

Cold Calling: Council Tax Reviews

We have been made aware of cold calling from representatives of (apparently legitimate) companies offering to negotiate reductions in Council Tax on behalf of homeowners in the local area. Such telephone callers may claim to be from Cheshire East Council, and may be targeting vulnerable residents. They ask for a home visit, and would charge a percentage fee for any reduction achieved. You are strongly advised to decline such offers, and not to arrange home appointments. Please help us by telling friends and family.

If you wish to appeal against your level of Council Tax you can do this as an individual  you do not have to go through third parties, legitimate or otherwise. Further information can be had from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), website is www.voa.gov.uk where there is also a detailed council tax scam warning.

Town Council Precept for 2013/14

Every year the Town Council raises a precept in order to pay for the range of services it provides Poyntons residents. In 2013/14 this will amount to around £1 a week for an average Band D household, an increase of 12p a week over the current precept.

In addition to the range of services already provided, the increased precept will include payment for a fifth PCSO (see item below), provide funding for a Woodford Neighbourhood Plan (in conjunction with Adlington and Woodford Councils, to try to influence the nature and scale of development at the ex-BAE Systems site), provide a full-time Operations Manager (who also has a remit to work with Poynton business to boost Poyntons visitor economy), fund the maintenance of an updated and much improved Town Council website, and provide a budget for tree management on both Inclines.

There will be further news about the precept in future editions of the PUN, as well as on the Town Council website and in the Poynton Post.

Dog Fouling

This particular form of litter can make life very unpleasant and a health risk for residents, with irresponsible dog owners to blame. If residents are aware of owners who are repeat offenders, or of stray dogs, we would encourage them to report the details to the Cheshire East Community Dog Wardens. They can be contacted on T. 0300 123 5021, e-mail: dogwardens@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Community Speedwatch

Cheshire Police are looking for volunteers to help with a Community Speed Watch scheme in the area of Middlewood Road. If you live in that vicinity, and would like more information, please contact your local PCSOs on the e-mail addresses below, or phone 0845 458 6371.

Rapid Response Vehicle in Poynton

Following a series of meetings between the Town Council and the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to review response times, a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) and a Registered Paramedic were deployed on a daily basis from Poynton Fire Station from mid-January 2013. The vehicle operates on a 12 hour daily basis from 07:00  19:00 and is staffed by a HCPC Registered Paramedic. This pilot scheme will be closely monitored to ensure it is successful.

Meanwhile our two First Responders, Ken Woolley and Bill McCracken, have just qualified as Extended Community First Responders, and can now attend all emergency call-outs. Congratulations to them both, with thanks also for the wonderful service they provide to our community.

Poynton Home Services Scheme

Your Town Council, in partnership with Peaks and Plains, offers a range of fixed cost home services for residents, provided by local contractors and monitored by ourselves and Peaks and Plains. We work with contractors who offer the following services: gardening, decorating, maintenance, cleaning, electrical, joinery and home modifications for disabled or elderly residents. If you are a Poynton resident in need of these services, or a local contractor who could offer these or different services, please contact Erica Adkins, Acting Home Services Coordinator on 01625 872238 or e-mail her on erica.adkins@poyntontowncouncil.gov.uk or find out more here.

Parking on Park Lane

There are still regular instances of illegal parking on Park Lane. There is a parking ban on Park Lane, with the only exceptions being parking on private forecourts (with the owners/tenants permission) and loading/unloading in the designated bays (outlined by studs in the carriageway), but not at peak times between 8am and 10am, and 4pm and 6pm  retailers are asked to ensure that their suppliers are made aware of this. Penalties will be issued for those who disregard the ban. Meanwhile residents and visitors will be pleased to learn that the Co-op partially lifted restrictions on its private car park off Park Lane late last year, providing free parking between 7pm and midnight daily. Although the food store has closed, daytime restrictions, limiting parking to one and a half hours, remain, and will be enforced by the Co-op.

The Poynton Update and News (PUN)

A reminder that hard copies of this PUN are available on request from the Civic Hall for those of our residents without access to PCs  please spread the word! A version of the PUN is published in SK Poynton magazine, and the Trading Post café and store on the canal at Nelson Pit in Higher Poynton has also kindly agreed to display it.

Dates for your diary

February 2013

Sat 23rd Feb

10am

meet Civic Hall

Monthly litter pick - all equipment provided

Mon 25th

8pm

Civic Hall

Community, Order and Public Safety Committee

Wed 27th

7.30pm

Hockley Centre

Twinning Assn of Poyntons AGM (see item above)

March 2013

Sat 2nd

10am-Noon

Civic Hall

Monthly Council Surgery  no appointment needed

Mon 4th

8pm

Civic Hall

Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting

Fri 8th

10am-11.30am

The Kingfisher

Celebration of Women of Poynton on International Womens Day

Mon 11th

8pm

Civic Hall

Facilities, Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee meeting

Tues 12th

8pm

Civic Hall

Management and Establishment Committee meeting

Mon 18th

7pm

Civic Hall

Planning and Environment Committee meeting

Mon 18th

8pm

Civic Hall

Community, Order and Public Safety Committee meeting

Fri 22nd

Noon-8pm

Civic Hall

Blood donating  T. 0300 123 23 23 for info/apppointments

Sat 23rd

10am

meet Civic Hall

Annual Community Litter Pick  all equipment provided

Mon 25th

8pm

Civic Hall

Town Council meeting

If you or your friends and family would like to receive the Poynton Update and News via email please contact Liz.Osborn@poyntontowncouncil.gov.uk
(Printed copies also available from the Civic Hall)

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